With the Hurontario LRT breaking ground some time next year, the renovations to the existing Cooksville GO station were inevitable. Insauga.com reported earlier this year that the Ontario government had already released the Request for Proposals (RFP) from two pre-qualified teams to design, build and finance the new station.

Selection criteria include applicable design, construction experience, and capacity to finance a project of this size and complexity. For Metrolinx, they’re hoping the pre-qualified companies can design something resembling the artistic rendering in the cover photo.

The contract was awarded to EllisDon Infrastructure CGSRER Inc. by Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx. The contract is valued at $128.4 million, which reflects the substantial completion payment.

Construction of the new GO station and structure has already begun and is expected to be completed by 2020. EllisDon anticipates about 150 workers to be on-site, the majority of which will come from the GTA.

“Cooksville GO Station is another example of the work our government is doing to make people’s commutes faster, more convenient and better integrated with transit systems across the region. Increasing commuter’s transportation choices in Peel, Mississauga and across the GTHA helps us manage congestion and reduce emissions on our roads while we improve our economy by connecting people to jobs and opportunities,” said Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca in a statement.

Metrolinx released some additional design concepts and renditions of what the final product will look like:

Here is a rendering of the new entrance area at Cooksville GO:

Here’s another view from an above angle:

The new design will also include additional amenities, such as an increase number of GO transit bus pick up and drop off points, as well as pedestrian bridge from the main station building to the train platform.

Such inclusions only point to one goal in mind: at some point Regional Express Rail (RER), also known as all day, two way GO train services, will be coming. They’ve already announced the funding for RER along the Kitchener line. While that is all well and good, the ridership numbers along Milton provides as strong and credible business case to upgrade the tracks along the Milton Line in order to accommodate trains going in both directions.

As for other amenities, it’ll boast a public plaza, new building, and a six-storey parking garage with 1,900 spaces.

Cooksville is the busiest station on the Milton GO corridor with 10 inbound and 10 outbound GO train trips each weekday.

This project is part of the largest rail project in Canada as Ontario transforms GO from a commuter transit system to a regional rapid transit system.

Weekly trips across the entire GO rail network will grow from about 1,500 to nearly 6,000 by 2024-2025, with more frequent rush-hour service coming to the Milton line.

“This is such an exciting development for our Cooksville riders and for our Regional Express Rail expansion,” said Metrolinx president and CEO Phil Verster.

Ontario is investing $21.3 billion to transform GO Transit from a commuter transit service to a regional rapid transit system.The station is anticipated to reach “substantial completion” around summer 2020.

The Cooksville GO station at Hurontario St. and Hillcrest Ave. opened in October 1981.